Before the Sky Fell
by MadiYasha
Summary: A gift for a friend. Link/Zelda.


When the clock struck midnight, he was greeted with a subtle knocking at his window. The room was uncomfortably warm for the dead of night, and he lazily swatted the air, as if the sound travelling through his room were a bug he could chase away. Link wiped the golden brown hair out of his eyes, shutting them tighter. The knocking only grew in volume, eventually joined by a firm whisper.

"Link... _Link!_"

The boy moaned and rolled over. Wondering what ungodly force could be bugging him at this time of night. Anyone who knew the kid knew that sleep was pretty high up on the list of things he held dearest. One could even argue it was number one.

"Link, wake up right now or so help me Goddess I will get my Loftwing in here to do it for me."

Except it wasn't, because anyone who had seen the way he and Zelda acted around each other would know where his priorities lied. The voice at his window was far too recognizable, and he knew he wouldn't be able to get away with sleeping this one off.

Link tensed as the familiar solicitor pushed her head through the wooden hatch, huffing a little at the image of her closest friend. _Typical,_ she scoffed. _First thing on his agenda is always sleep._ Despite the scolding thoughts, she smiled at the sight of the brave boy she knew-there he was, curled up in a lumpy little ball under his covers, groaning at her to leave him alone. It was a common scenario, but never stopped being one of the highlights of their friendship.

Knowing that yelling at him was most likely useless, the girl pushed herself through his window and landed neatly on the floor, taking note the disarray of his room. Wood carvings unfinished on his desktop, books strewn about the floor in what she assumed was a last-minute attempt at studying for all the exams they'd undergone that week. And in the middle of it all was lazy little Link, a serene oasis of calm amongst the chaos.

In one fell motion, she yanked the blanket from on top of him and watched the slumbering boy shriek as he fell to the floor. On any normal night, she'd be terrified of the other students or, Goddess forbid, the _teachers_ hearing his cries of dismay. But tonight was very different.

Link looked up at his best friend with heavy bags under his eyes. "Zeldaaaaa."

She gave him a smirk and mimicked his tone. "Liiiink."

"I'm tired," He whimpered.

"You're always tired."

"That's a lie," he yawned, still lying pathetically on the floor. "Whoever told you that is a liar."

She rolled her eyes. "It's not nice to put yourself down."

He grinned a little, placing one arm on his bed and rubbing at his eyes with the other. "What exactly is it you need, Z?"

"It's the first day of summer break!" She clapped her hands together excitedly. "You can't sleep it through!"

He looked at her as if he'd seen a ghost. "I... can't?"

Zelda suddenly turned serious. "_No!_ There's so much stuff we gotta do, we have to celebrate!"

The boy blinked once, taking in virtually none of the information just presented to him. "Why did you go through my window? Your room is literally right upstairs."

She pouted. "Because it feels cooler that way!"

"There's monsters out there, Zelda."

"I can't take care of myself just fine!"

Link tilted his head a little, smiled, and stood up to meet her eyes. "What's got you so excited?"

"I told you! It's summer break, the FIRST NIGHT of summer break," Her gaze burned with what could only be described as playful ferocity. "I planned so much stuff, Link! We HAVE to get a head start!"

"...at 12 at night?"

"YES!" She beamed, grabbing his hand. "Now come on!"

Before Link could object he was being carried through the academy hallways, stumbling over his own feet and trying desperately to wake himself from the stupor. "Zelda," he protested.

She disregarded him, merely gaining momentum as she ran up the stairs.

"Zelda!"

"Whaaaat," She finally stopped, whipping her head around and accidentally lambasting Link with a swoosh of blonde hair.

"Where are we even going?"

Another devious grin plastered itself on the young girl's face, and she gave his hand another tug. "It's a secret to everybody."

Skyloft at night was gorgeous. There were few sights in the vast world that compared with the way the stars hung above them, so close but still out of reach. Link would admit he envied the Knights. Many nights he snuck to the roof of the academy, gazing intently at the shining constellations and wishing, hoping that he could some day take flight and journey to whatever magical realm they resided in. An impossible feat, the Loftwings couldn't fly at night on their own, and even if they could-was an adventure like that even obtainable? He would be left with his thoughts alone, but the boy had enough of an imagination to sustain what curiosity he had.

Those stars always did make him that much more sentimental. So when Zelda had brought him out here, through the top door of the Academy and out into the summer night air, he couldn't help but feel a comfortable familiarity wash over him. Her quick-moving feet had slowly come to a relaxed stride, and she walked beside him now, rather than pulling him every which way through the grass and tiny patches of flowers.

There were lanterns strung on a line along the river, stretching from one end of town all the way to the waterfalls. The homes built into the hillside glowed like fireflies, casting their gentle light onto the water. It would seem that Zelda was not the only one enjoying her vacation; Link could make out the lights on in Pipit's house. Passing by, he distinctly took note of both his and Karane's voices emanating from inside. He grinned, wondering if they were ever going to confess their feelings for each other, it was driving everyone around them mad with anticipation.

Zelda halted, and Link snapped out of thought, nearly colliding with her as she suddenly stopped. She turned around, gave him that playful smile she always did, and yanked on his hand once more.

"C'mon, Link!"

The boy didn't much feel the need to speak as she whisked him off to the bridge that hung over the stream. When she was satisfied with the view, she nodded silently at him, plopping down and letting her feet hang over the edge, inches above the running water. Link followed suit next to her, giving a satisfied laugh and turning his view back to the sky.

"I don't care how dangerous they say it is," Zelda smiled. "The beauty of this place at night is worth every risk."

"You can't come out here _that_ often,"

"I do though!" She defended. "Almost every night. If my father knew, I'd never hear the end of it..."

"And yet you're telling me?" Link laughed. "Chances are I'd scold you even more for it!"

"But you aren't, are you?"

His expression softened. "Well, ah, no..."

She giggled.

"But it's still scary! If we didn't have the Knights to protect us, who knows what would happen..."

"It's not scary at all," She bragged. "I figured you'd agree with me, Mr. Courageous. Aren't you the fearless one?"

"Courage isn't the absence of fear," He sighed. "It's the judgment that there are things more important than fear."

Zelda let out another laugh, and gently punched at his shoulder. "Did you get that off a fortune cookie?"

"Shut up!" He playfully grabbed her in a headlock as she attempted to beat up his forearm. The two of them quickly dissolved into a pile of laughing, flailing teenagers. It was just one of the things he adored about Zelda, she was feminine and no doubt graceful, but by no means strictly a lady. And man, could she hold her own in a wrestling match.

Within seconds, the two were sent toppling over the edge of the bridge and into the shallow stream with a _splash._ They sat there for a moment, completely in a daze about what had just happened, and after a brief moment of brain processing, both busted out in simultaneous laughter.

Zelda was actually wiping tears from her eyes and Link was doubled over, unintentionally soaking himself even more as the water continued running around them. He was sure that if anyone could see them right now, they'd dismiss it as _those two weirdos from the Knight Academy finally losing it_, but he was hardly in a position to care. Neither of them ever really cared what others thought of them, just another trait that brought them closer.

When their laughter finally died down, Link's attention was caught by subtle lights hovering in the water's reflection. He gazed deeply into the ripples, wondering why the stars seemed so alive tonight. And then he raised his vision up to the sky, and back to the water. It was only when he looked all around him that he saw them.

Fireflies. Tons and tons of Starry Fireflies, completely surrounding the both of them.

Zelda's mouth hung open as she took in the sight. Sure, she had seen fireflies before, but never so many, never all at once. Link was caught in a similar state of euphoria, unable to take his eyes off the scene. The pitch black town, only illuminated by the lanterns, the windows on the hillside, and now, these brilliant creatures, fearlessly blanketing Skyloft in a comforting light.

He finally worked up the strength to turn away, shifting his sight to Zelda. The profile of her face was a smooth outline against the starry backdrop, the lights danced across her complexion and brought out her soft features. Her hair was nearly iridescent in the glow of it all, and Link felt a pang of what he could only describe as intense gratitude.

"It's so beautiful," She whispered..

"Yeah," He said, not once taking his eyes off her. "Beautiful."

Zelda turned to him, a wistful look plastering itself across her face. She felt her heart race when she realized how intensely Link was looking at her. There was some sort of wisdom in his eyes she was unsure of-that wasn't something she'd come to expect from her best friend. He was childish by nature, lazier than anyone she'd ever known, and just a little bit awkward. He'd been known to have brief moments of sentimentality, but this intensity she was seeing in him was a whole knew emotion she'd never imagine could come from Link.

She mirrored his gaze, her sky blue eyes almost identical to his crystal blue. Link's heart nearly jumped into his throat and he was suddenly very aware of where he was. There they were, sitting in a tiny stream. He could hear the water running, feel the light wind on his neck. Off in the distance, Loftwings were zooming through the clouds with Knights on their backs, people were warm in their houses without a care in the world. Yet, all he saw was Zelda, bathed in the gentle aura of the fireflies as she sat there with her mouth just barely opened, quietly peering into him like she always seemed to.

Link hardly knew what he was doing when slid his hand across the cold rocks, underneath the water, and onto her own. She let out a tiny breath as he did so, briefly looking down at their hands touching, and then back up at him, her eyes taking on an even more innocent glow as she looked up at him. With only a little hesitation, he leaned over and tightened his grip on her hand, heart racing as the both of them closed their eyes, mere inches from each other.

They were jolted out of the motion when a sharp hissing noise cut into the solace of the moment. Link was suddenly standing up, looking fiercely in all directions for the source of the noise. Zelda merely blinked, completely flustered and more than a bit disappointed. The hissing turned into a low growl, and something shot out of the bushes, nearly scathing her in the process. In one fell motion, Link jumped in front of her, holding up the back of his arm to fend off the attacker, which landed perfectly on its feet.

"Remlit," He stated, clearly annoyed. His tone betrayed his attitude, however, as he walked over to the felinesque animal and crouched down, picking up the snarling, spitting, hissing ball of fur in his hands.

Zelda breathed a little noise of apprehension. "Be careful, Link."

"It's fine, I got it," He responded, holding the pet far away from his face as it gnawed on his thumb. He turned to the remlit, looked it straight in its glowing amber eyes, and bopped it on the nose.

"Bad kitty," He scolded firmly, dropping it to the ground. "Get lost."

The animal cowered slightly, and Link refused to take his gaze off it until it spat one last hiss at him, and sauntered off, undoubtedly to find someone significantly less smart to prey on.

"How did you even do that?" Zelda said incredulously, genuinely curious but also attempting to avoid drawing attention to what was going on prior to the scuffle.

"Those things love me," He boasted. "They follow me around town almost constantly, I'm pretty used to dealing with them at night."

She watched as he aimlessly stretched a little, her mind immediately going back to what had almost transpired beforehand. _Had he... been trying to kiss her?_

The girl felt the blush creeping over her and fought against every part of her body to shoo it away. Zelda _did not_ do the girly romantic thing. Never in a million years would she let herself dissolve into that.

Link, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter. He simply stared at the ground, a little upset that they had been interrupted. He hardly knew what had come over him, but that didn't necessarily mean he didn't like it.

Both of them shoved the thought out of their mind as best they could, and Link offered a hand to Zelda, who was still just sitting there in the middle of the stream. He brought her to her feet, and she gave him a warm smile. It was interrupted when she shivered suddenly, and the boy shot her a concerned look.

"You're cold," He stated bluntly.

"I'm fine,"

"No, you're cold. C'mon, let's go back to my room," Link offered. "I'll make you something."

Zelda opened her mouth to protest again, but was quickly shushed. Instead, she beamed at him yet again as he started off back toward the Academy, his arm wrapped tightly around her while she glowed with happiness.

"Are you sure we're allowed to be using the kitchen?"

"It's fine. Everyone's home for the break, anyways. Only people sticking around are us and the Headmaster."

Zelda blew on the hot coffee (which she had always preferred to tea, to the confusion of her friends) that Link had made for her. "True. My father pretty much sleeps like a rock, anyways. Not that he'd mind much, he loves you like his own."

Link blushed ever so slightly, and continued stirring whatever he was making on the stove top. "Sometimes I feel like he gives me special treatment,"

"He goes easier on you than he does on me!" Zelda practically scoffed. "Chances are you could get away with anything."

The brunette made a face. "That's not fair..."

Zelda patted him on the back and laughed. "Savour it. You lucked out!"

"I guess it's better than being one of the less favoured students," he smirked, and coughed out something that sounded a lot like Groose's name.

She grinned along with him and sat back down. "_Much_ better!"

There was a comfortable silence as the clock ticked quietly. Zelda tilted back in her chair and thoughtfully sipped at her coffee, which she had dubbed as completely delectable, and pretty effective for warming her up fast. She would admit, Link had a few obscure talents. He was a textbook example of a jack of all trades, and cooking just happened to fall into the many categories. Eventually, he scooped whatever he had made into a bowl and handed it to her with one hand, smiling.

She looked down at the concoction, and then up at him, and then back to the bowl. "What is it?"

"Noodles," He smiled. "And cheese. It's really good!"

She raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar meal and reluctantly took it from him, raising the fork up and examining the food questioningly.

"Oh, come on!" Link teased. "I make this stuff all the time, it's delicious, I promise."

The blonde looked up at him scarfing down his own bowl. She didn't change her expression.

"Have I ever lied to you, Z?"

"There was that one time when we were eight-"

"It was a rhetorical question!"

Filling her 'pick on Link' quota for the night, she leaned back again and hesitantly took a bite. Her eyes widened as soon as she tasted it, and she practically slammed the bowl down on the table.

"Link,"

He flinched a little and turned toward her. "Yes?"

"This is amazing."

"I told you."

"No, Link, you don't understand, I need more."

"I'll make it for you whenever you wa-"

"Need."

He laughed nervously at the intense, smitten stare she was giving him as she continued to eat. "Whenever you _need_ me to."

She nodded in complete silence, and continued eating, neglecting her coffee cup as the night went on.

The sun was almost rising over the clouds before Link put his book down. Zelda had been sprawled across his bed, talking to him about virtually whatever came to mind, and he'd been giving whatever responses he could, trying not to seem as obsessed with the book as they both knew he was.

"What's in that dusty tome, anyways?"

"Legends, typical mythos and whatnot," He said nonchalantly. "I like a couple of them."

"You've been on the same chapter for 2 hours."

He looked at the wall opposite to her. "I just... I don't know, I have this really weird interest in the Goddess' whole legend. I've always sympathized a lot with the people involved."

"Like who?"

"Her chosen hero," Link brought his line of sight down to his hands, a little sheepishly. "I just get these feelings about his motives, and who he was as a person, and I can never explain why. There's no evidence to prove he was anything other than a typical hero, but there's something so... _human_ about him."

Zelda tilted her head a little. "Motives?"

"I don't think he did what he did because he was chosen, or rather, for that reason alone," The boy retorted almost immediately. "I think there was something else behind it..."

"What kind of 'something else?'"

"Like... " He trailed off, losing himself to his own thoughts. "Nah, forget it."

"Aw, tell me."

"No, it's stupid."

"I bet it isn't," She argued.

"What if..." He took a breath. "He did it because he had feelings of some sort for her?"

"That's not stupid," Zelda pouted a little. "It's honestly kinda romantic, if not a little sad."

"How's it sad?"

"Well, she was the Goddess. She's not only beautiful-and powerful-but a divine being from the Sacred Realm," She explained. "They would have never been able to really be together."

Link suddenly looked very dejected. "Yeah... I guess so..."

There was a pregnant pause, and Zelda broke the silence with one of her typical scoffs. "Well, if _I_ were the Goddess, I wouldn't pass up the opportunity."

He gazed back at her as she made the comment. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it! He probably went through a bunch of stuff for her, he gave up everything just to be her chosen hero. Sure, he didn't have a choice, but something tells me you're right, it wasn't about destiny, or what he was made out to be... he would have chosen it on his own," She closed her eyes. "That kind of dedication... if I were the Goddess, I'd gladly give up my divinity for someone so valiant!"

Link just stared back at her, completely caught unaware by how passionately she spoke about the circumstances. In all the time knowing her, he had never once thought she'd have as many opinions on the legend as he did. The grin that overtook him was warmer than he was used to, and when she spoke again, he let every word really seep into his mind.

"But... I'm just a mortal girl, so maybe my view on it is a little more fairy tale-esque."

"Regardless, I think the Hero would appreciate your perspective, haha."

She hung herself upside-down over the side of his bed, resting her hands on her stomach. "He always did feel like an old friend to me."

He gave her another lasting gaze, and set the book on his bedside table. Zelda slid down onto the floor with him, eyelids growing heavy as the sunrise peaked over the horizon. She closed her eyes and leaned her head on Link's shoulder, letting out a satisfied little groan when she got comfortable.

Link just looked down at her and chuckled. "Oh, right, and _I'm_ the lazy one."

Zelda murmured a unintelligible retort, and settled into him.

He couldn't help but admire her as she lay there, and his thoughts kept drifting back to what had happened earlier. In retrospect, Link didn't really know what had possessed him to attempt what he had... he couldn't even bring himself to _think_ the words. If the boy so much as tried acknowledging that he had nearly kissed Zelda, his fluster reflex kicked in as per usual and he ended up looking like a cherry. They'd been best friends since they were 4, and he never recalled seeing her as anything else besides the girl he spent all his time with. The girl he walked to class, the girl who woke him up every morning, the girl he could never stop smiling around. He'd undergone countless beatings from an unnamed, burly red-haired classmate for her and never once complained. Through the years with her, the only thing that had become necessary to Link's happiness was Zelda's own.

Those were best friend feelings, right?

Link dismissed the thoughts once again, not feeling like confusing himself once again. Exams were over, school was over, he didn't have to worry about anything remotely stressful anymore. Closing his eyes, he just focused on finding his center, and looked back to the girl asleep on his shoulder. He absentmindedly wrapped an arm around her, and when he was certain she was far-gone in dream, he hummed a gentle tune, adding whimsical lyrics to it as he went along.

_Dear Princess,_

_rest your weary head._

_Dream sweet dreams,_

_sleep sound in your bed_

_I will watch _

_bravely over you-_

_Never fear,_

_I'm here._

_Though this world can be dark,_

_Never once will we part._

_I'll always be fighting for you..._

He took a breath before continuing back into the chorus, leaning into her as he sung softly. The sun was still bleeding over the town, and he realized he always felt calmest before the dawn.

_Dear Princess, _

_Place your hand in mine,_

_May your smile always shine..._

"What song is that?"

Link nearly jumped a few feet in the air when she spoke. He was certain she had been sleeping, _exactly how much of that did she hear?_ He stammered through his response, trying desperately to hide his embarrassment.

"O-Oh, um... It's just a little something I... came up with, one day..." He could feel his face heating up again. "Sometimes these... little melodies just come to me, like, uh, in dreams and stuff!"

Zelda's expression was only slightly less than enamored when she opened her eyes again and looked up at him. "It's really nice."

Link was still blushing furiously. He was always fairly secretive about the various hobbies he partook in, or at least modest about them-but this seemed a little more deep-seated than that. "It's nothing, really... I've written better."

"Does it... have a name?" She inquired.

"Uhh, well..."

His gaze shifted toward the floor, and then back at her, and he was pretty certain that he couldn't be blushing harder at this point but suddenly that was _okay_ and he didn't understand why. There was a fluttering in his chest that made itself very obviously present when he locked eyes with her and it was as if an electrical current had connected them at the very core. He could feel Zelda in his mind, his heart, his spirit. Likewise, she had moved her head off his shoulder and was now staring up at him with what was simply defined as complete and total enchantment.

Link placed his hand on her shoulder, a sudden yet familiar confidence radiating in him as he trailed his hand down her bare arm, her hands, finally entwining his fingers in hers again. This time, Zelda didn't fight back what she was feeling internally. She let the flush fall across her cheeks, and her eyelashes fluttered with a naive nervousness. Discreetly swallowing the lump in her throat, she boldly placed a hand on his face, running her fingers across his jawline, to his neck, through his hair. They were so close that they had nearly melted into each other. He could feel her breath on his neck, she could sense the heat radiating off of his face. The only thing separating him from her was a few layers of air.

And when Link saw her close her eyes, he took a sharp breath, wrapped his free arm around her, and closed the distance between them.

It was the most fulfilling thing either of them had experienced. All those years, and was this really what it had all meant? All that Zelda could really comprehend in the moment when she was kissing him was that she had never felt more complete.

It didn't make sense. No part of her had ever been missing, had it? And yet, here he was, making her realize that she was only Zelda. And Zelda was fine and happy with whom she was, but it was only then she had the though that, _Zelda and Link was so magnificent._

Link had to steady himself from trembling as he was kissing her. He had never thought about her in this way. Often, he regarded her fondly, but never did he once think about how incomplete and alone he'd be without her. What would make any other human being scared filled him to the brim with courage-he knew that this girl, the only person with the ability to break his spirit, would always be beside him. In that precise moment, Link realized he was invincible.

Reluctantly, they broke apart, both still completely flushed to the bone, but glowing with unbridled joy. Zelda's eyes were narrowed wistfully, but her smile was more genuine than Link had ever seen before.

"It... does have a name, yeah." He resumed the conversation as if nothing had changed, looking at her like she was a billion rupees.

Zelda gave no response, but her expression spoke every word it needed to and more.

"It's called _Zelda's Lullaby._"


End file.
